Kevin Ollie, who missed Tuesday's game at Utah with a sore right knee, will undergo an MRI exam today. Ollie said his knee has been troublesome for about three weeks, but the pain became unbearable in the first quarter of Sunday's road loss against the Los Angeles Lakers when he attempted to challenge a shot by guard Jordan Farmar.

"When I explode it hurts, but when I'm running it's fine," Ollie said. "That's the frustrating thing. In Basketball you have to jump. You can't go out there and play cautious and whatnot. So I think I'm hurting myself and most importantly I think I'm hurting my team.

"I just want to check it out. I know we're doing the right thing, me and the medical staff. I just want to make sure nothing else is going on in there. Hopefully it's just something on the bone and nothing in the tendon."

In 14 games as the backup point guard, Ollie is averaging 2.6 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 14.8 minutes.

WEAVER RECALLED FROM TULSA, JOINS Thunder IN UTAH

Kyle Weaver's first of three allowed stints in the D-League was a brief one. The Thunder recalled the second-year guard Tuesday out of necessity because of injuries to Ollie and Shaun Livingston (recovering from knee surgery). Weaver served as the backup point guard to Russell Westbrook against Utah.

A CHANCE TO LEARN FROM THE BEST

Thunder coach Scott Brooks said Utah point guard Deron Williams has reached the point in his development that second-year point guard Russell Westbrook is headed toward as a floor leader.

"He understands what the team needs, and Russell is learning how to do those things," Brooks said of Williams. "In games, when you need scoring you got to get them scoring. When you need playmaking he can be a playmaker. Deron is one of the best at doing that."

DURANT REACTS TO THE PASSING OF ABE POLLIN

Kevin Durant never knew Abe Pollin personally. But the Thunder's star forward and Washington, D.C., native was saddened by the passing of the Washington Wizards owner Tuesday and called the news "devastating." Pollin was 85 and had suffered from supranuclear palsy, a rare brain disorder.

"He meant a lot," Durant said of Pollin's impact on Basketball in the District. "He basically made the Wizards.

"If you go downtown, he has his own avenue there right in front of the arena. And so he was Wizards Basketball, and you can kind of say he was like the founder of Basketball in Washington, D.C. I don't know about before I was born. But for me coming up, Abe Pollin and what he's done for the city of D.C. and how much he's given back. And so it's a devastating loss."

TOUGH CROWD

The Jazz has established itself as one of the toughest teams to beat at home. Utah has a home record of 477-162 over the past 16 seasons and entered Tuesday's game against the Thunder with a home mark of 105-24 over the past three-plus seasons.

"Great crowds," explained Brooks. "It's always been a great building. And the building, the way it's set up, basically the crowd is right on top of you. And it's kind of like our place where it's loud no matter what time of the year it is, opening game through January, February. And when the playoffs are here they even take it up another level."